Water Leak Detectors

Discover the Best Water Leak Detectors for Your Smart Home.

Water leak detectors are among the simplest devices you can add to your smart home. By design, they are binary sensors. Since water is a conductor, the sensor triggers whenever the sensor contacts connect and alerts the user.

However, they are also one of the most essential devices for the safety of your home. These simple sensors can save time and money by detecting a water drip before it becomes a serious leak. It’s not going to happen to you — until it does.

This Best Buy Guide lists the best water leak detectors compatible with Homey. Install one of these simple sensors to protect your home from water leaks, overflows, and broken pipes.

How to Choose a Good Water Leak Detector

Communication Protocol

Choose detectors that use reliable communication protocols like Zigbee or Z-Wave to ensure consistent connectivity and prevent missed alerts.

Power Source and Battery Life

Look for detectors with long-lasting batteries, easy replacement options, and backup power solutions to ensure continuous operation.

Contacts Type

Evaluate the type of contacts, such as metal prongs or strips, to ensure dependable water detection in various conditions.

Ingress Protection

Ensure the detector has a high IP rating, indicating it is well-protected against dust and water ingress for reliable performance in wet environments.

Temperature Monitoring

Some detectors also monitor temperature, which can help prevent freezing pipes. Consider whether this feature is necessary.

Brand	Model	Protocol	Cable	Battery Life	IP Rating	Price
Aeotec	Water Sensor 7 Pro	Z-Wave		3 years	IP20	€44.99
Aqara	T1 Water Leak Sensor	Zigbee		2 years	IP67	€23.99
Trust	Wireless Leak Detector	Zigbee		1 year	IP54	€31.99
Marmitek	Sense MA	Zigbee		3 years	IP66	€19.99
Nous	E4 Water Leak Sensor	Zigbee		3 years	IP66	€29.54
Sensative	Strips Drip	Z-Wave		10 years	IP66	€69.99
Shelly	Flood	Wi-Fi		1.5 years	IP67	€21.90
SwitchBot	Water Leak Detector	Wi-Fi		2 years	IP67	€19.99
ThirdReality	Water Leak Sensor	Zigbee		3 years	IP67	€21.00
Zooz	ZSE42 Sensor	Z-Wave		1 year	IP66	€23.95

The Aeotec Water Sensor 7 Pro is a versatile and reliable leak detector designed to protect your home from water damage. Its 1.5-meter cable allows flexible placement to detect leaks in hard-to-reach places.

This sensor can measure drips, leaks, bursts, and overflows, providing comprehensive coverage against water-related issues. The sensor’s stainless-steel detection tip is highly sensitive and capable of detecting minuscule amounts of water (as little as 0.5 millimeters on the surface), making it your first line of defense against damaged and faulty plumbing.

The Aeotec Water Sensor 7 Pro also measures temperature and humidity, helping to prevent conditions that might lead to mold growth or frozen pipes. The device also includes a tamper alert feature, ensuring that it reports any unauthorized interference immediately.

The Water Sensor 7 Pro integrates seamlessly over Z-Wave with Homey Bridge or Homey Pro, ensuring stable communication and peace of mind. Its advanced features, flexible installation options, and exceptional reliability come at a premium, making the Aeotec Water Sensor 7 Pro more expensive than most devices on our list.

The Aqara T1 Water Leak Sensor is a compact device measuring 50 x 50 x 15 millimeters, designed to detect water leaks with high precision. Its small size allows easy placement in tight spots, and its IP67 rating provides excellent dust and water protection, allowing it to stay submerged for up to 30 minutes without any issues. 

The T1 features stainless-steel detection tips that detect water levels as low as 0.5 millimeters, offering early warnings to prevent significant water damage. While the T1 does not come with a cable, it’s possible to extend its flexibility by simply attaching a set of wires to its hex screw contacts.

The sensor uses a single CR2032 battery, which provides up to two years of battery life and minimizes the need for frequent maintenance. It uses Zigbee 3.0 as a communication protocol, ensuring reliable and secure connectivity with Homey Bridge and Homey Pro.

Despite its excellent battery life, some users find replacing the battery inconvenient and are concerned about maintaining the watertight seal after replacement.

The Trust Wireless Water Leakage Detector is another excellent cabled leak detector option. It features a 90-centimeter cable, making it ideal for installation near washing machines, dishwashers, central heating systems, or sink cabinets.

The main unit has an IP54 rating, providing a medium level of water and dust protection. However, the 90-centimeter cable lets you mount the device away from the floor, protecting the main unit.

Using Zigbee for communication, the Trust leak sensor pairs seamlessly with Homey and Homey Pro. Once paired, you can create Flows based on water detection and battery status alarms. Additionally, the anti-tamper mechanism triggers whenever someone opens or mishandles the device’s housing.

The Trust Wireless Water Leakage Detector runs on AAA batteries lasting up to one year. This is shorter than most sensors on our list, requiring more frequent battery changes and checkups.

The Marmitek Sense MA is a Dutch-made water leak detector that communicates via Zigbee. It is ideal for installation in areas prone to leaks, such as kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms.

With an IP66 rating, it withstands dust and powerful water jets, ensuring reliable performance in different environments. It has two metal prongs that trigger the alarm whenever they come into contact with water.

Using Zigbee for communication, the Marmitek Sense MA easily connects to Homey Bridge and Homey Pro. This integration allows users to monitor water and battery alarms through the Homey app. This ensures comprehensive device management and prompt responses to detected leaks.

The Marmitek Sense MA runs on a single CR2430 battery for up to three years. However, some users have reported that the battery life may vary depending on usage, although advertised as three years, leading to more frequent replacements than expected.

The Nous E4 Water Leak Detector is a compact and lightweight solution for detecting water leaks. It measures just 41 x 34 x 15 millimeters and is ideal for installation in tight spaces such as under sinks, near washing machines, or around water heaters.

With an IP66 rating, the Nous E4 offers high-level protection against dust and water ingress. It can withstand powerful water jets and is completely dust-tight, making it suitable for moist and dusty environments.

The Nous E4 uses Zigbee to communicate and connect to Homey Pro. While some users have reported initial pairing difficulties, once paired, the E4 provides a reliable connection directly to Homey or through nearby router devices.

The Nous E4 runs on a single CR2032 battery, which can last up to three years. You can monitor the battery status through Homey, ensuring long-term reliability.

The Sensative Strips Drip is a uniquely shaped water leak detector, distinguished by its ultra-thin strip design measuring just 3 millimeters in thickness. This non-standard shape makes it perfect for discreet installation in tight or hidden spaces, such as under appliances, along walls, or within narrow gaps.

The Sensative Strips Drip features a built-in battery with an impressive lifespan of ten years, designed to last the entire device life. However, the battery is irreplaceable, meaning you would need to replace the whole sensor if any issues arise.

Using Z-Wave as a communication method, the Sensative Strips Drip pairs seamlessly with Homey, allowing you to monitor water leaks, temperature, and humidity levels. Additionally, it has an anti-tamper alarm for added security.

The Sensative Strips Drip is priced considerably higher than other water leak sensors with similar features. Deploying several of these can quickly increase costs and push your budget overboard.

The Shelly Flood sensor is a compact, round-shaped water leak detector measuring 70 x 70 x 19 millimeters. Its design makes it easy to place in various locations around your home to detect potential water leaks.

An interesting feature of the Shelly Flood is its three-contact design. Unlike most sensors that feature only two contacts, the Shelly Flood has three separate contacts that trigger the sensor whenever two are joined by water, enhancing its sensitivity and reliability.

The Shelly Flood connects via Wi-Fi and seamlessly integrates with Homey for easy connection to your smart home system. It also has a built-in temperature sensor to monitor water leaks and fluctuations. This can be particularly useful for applications such as managing floor heating systems.

It runs on a single CR123A battery, which provides approximately eighteen months of battery life. To achieve this battery life, the Shelly Flood frequently enters sleep mode on Wi-Fi. This feature occasionally causes the Shelly to disconnect from the network, sometimes rendering it unreliable.

The SwitchBot Water Leak Detector is a newly released smart water leak detector. It’s available in two versions: a standard model and one with a 1-meter cable for detecting leaks in hard-to-reach areas. This detector can identify water levels as low as 0.5 millimeters from the surface, ensuring early detection.

The SwitchBot Water Leak Detector runs on two AAA batteries that last up to two years. Its IP67 rating suits high-humidity environments like kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms. 

The device has an internal siren with adjustable sound levels up to 100dB, which alerts you to leaks no matter where you are in your home.

The SwitchBot Water Leak Detector is compatible with Homey and Homey Pro. Still, it currently requires a SwitchBot Hub for full functionality and remote alerts.

The ThirdReality Water Leak Sensor is an affordable, drop-shaped leak detector with a built-in 120-decibel alarm siren. The sensor sounds the siren whenever it detects water, which you can easily hear from afar. 

The device is IP67 waterproof and resistant to water and dust. It can stay submerged in water for up to 30 minutes without issues. Despite its discreet drop shape, the ThirdReality sensor is larger and bulkier than most cable-free sensors.

Using Zigbee as a communication protocol, you can pair the ThirdReality Water Leak Sensor with Homey Bridge and Homey Pro. Once paired, you can use the water and battery alarms as When-cards in Homey Flows. However, some users have reported unreliable battery level reporting, making it difficult to know when to replace the batteries.

The ThirdReality Water Leak Sensor runs on a set of AAA batteries. It has an average lifespan of three years. Retailers frequently discount this model and put it on sale, especially when bought in bulk, making it an attractive pick.

If you prefer deploying Z-Wave devices in your smart home, consider the Zooz ZSE42 Water Leak Sensor. The ZSE42 is a small and compact water leak detector with a thickness of only 7.6 millimeters. Its small size allows it to fit easily into tight spaces, making it ideal for discreet monitoring of potential water leaks.

A key feature of the Zooz ZSE42 is its four contact points. These contacts are strategically placed on the underside of the sensor to detect the presence of water. When water comes into contact with two of these points, it completes an electrical circuit, triggering the alarm.

The device features an IP66 rating, ensuring it is resistant to dust and powerful water jets and provides reliable performance in various environments.

Utilizing the Z-Wave communication method, the Zooz ZSE42 seamlessly integrates with Homey Bridge and Homey Pro. Once connected, users can monitor the water alarm and battery level through the Homey app, allowing for comprehensive leak detection and device management.

The sensor runs on a single CR2032 battery, offering a mediocre battery life of around one year. This relatively short battery life means that users must replace the battery more frequently than other models, which is a drawback.